Search results for "etna"
showing 10 items of 193 documents
Etna and the perception of volcanic risk
2013
Sicily’s uneven geological structure is positioned within a system of tectonic plates, and its very active volcano has always made it prone to disasters. Many Sicilian cities have in fact been destroyed by natural events many times over the centuries. This can certainly be understood negatively as the destruction of entire towns, the emission of volcanic ash, and the mutation of landscapes by a terrifying force have instilled fearful memories in local populations. But from another point of view one must consider the positive elements of Etna. Its beautiful landscapes were a major attraction on the Grand Tour, and its inhabitants have long associated the volcano with the concept of rebirth a…
First 13C/12C isotopic characterisation of volcanic plume CO2
2010
We describe analytical details and uncertainty evaluation of a simple technique for the measurement of the carbon isotopic composition of CO2 in volcanic plumes. Data collected at Solfatara and Vulcano, where plumes are fed by fumaroles which are accessible for direct sampling, were first used to validate the technique. For both volcanoes, the plume-derived carbon isotopic compositions are in good agreement with the fumarolic compositions, thus providing confidence on the method, and allowing its application at volcanoes where the volcanic component is inaccessible to direct sampling. As a notable example, we applied the same method to Mount Etna where we derived a δ13C of volcanic CO2 betw…
Architetture all'ombra del vulcano: il comprensorio etneo in età moderna. Architecture in the Shadow of the Volcano: the Etna Region in the Early Mod…
2017
Tra le molteplici declinazioni che investono il rapporto architettura natura un caso particolarmente pregnante è quello dei contesti vulcanici, tanto per le implicazioni che riguardano la ricerca estetica e gli aspetti visivi, quanto la costruzione e la composizione materica degli edifici realizzati in tali contesti. La fascinazione suscitata dalle eruzioni vulcaniche attraverso i secoli ha certamente contribuito alla persistenza di miti e alla formazione di un immaginario collettivo, fino alla costruzione di identità locali radicate in territori fortemente caratterizzati, con significativi riflessi anche nella sfera architettonica. Per altro verso, la disponibilità di un’ampia gamma di mat…
Culture and odor categorization : agreement between cultures depends upon the odors
2003
This study evaluated the effect of culture on the relationship between psychological dimensions underlying odor perception and odor categorization. In a first experiment, French, Vietnamese and American participants rated several perceptual dimensions of everyday odorants, and sorted these odorants on the basis of their similarity. Results showed that the three groups of participants differed in their perceptual judgments but agreed in categorizing the odors into four consensual groups (floral, sweet, bad, and nature). Three dimensions––pleasantness, edibility, cosmetic acceptability––discriminated these groups in the same way in the three countries. In a second experiment, the participants…
Active biomonitoring (moss-bags) of volcanic emissions on Mt. Etna
2011
Biomonitoring may be defined as the use of organisms and biomaterials (biomonitors) to obtain information on certain characteristics of a particular medium (atmosphere, hydrosphere etc.). In particular, mosses accumulate large amounts of trace metals, making them good bioaccumulators to estimate atmospheric pollution. The moss-bags technique, introduced in the early 1970’, has become very popular. Such active biomonitoring technique is particularly useful in highly polluted areas and has been extensively used in industrial and/or urban areas to examine deposition patterns and to recognize point sources of pollution. The main objective of this study, which represents the first application of…
The use of motivational strategies in EFL classrooms : a comparative study of Vietnamese and Finnish EFL teachers
2018
The thesis describes a comparative research of motivational strategies in English as Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms of Vietnamese and Finnish teachers. The aim of the study was to understand individual teachers’ motivational strategies in the classroom and analyze strategies cross-culturally in the two contexts and describe the teachers’ difficulties and challenges in motivating students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Vietnamese EFL teachers and three Finnish EFL teachers. The interview data were analyzed inductively using qualitative content analysis method to build up the motivational strategy dimensions which were also partly based on Dörnyei’s motivational stra…
Non-stationary nature of SO2 degassing at Etna’s North-east crater (Italy).
2012
Investigating Etna’s long-term SO2 flux behaviour has led to important conclusions on the structure of the volcano’s magma feeding system, magma production (and degassing) rates, and causes for the excess degassing behaviour. Nonetheless, our knowledge of the short-term (timescales of seconds to a few hours) behaviour of magmatic volatiles (e.g., bubble coalescence, separate ascent and surface bursting of gas-rich bubbles) in the volcano’s upper feeding conduit system is still fragmentary, and based on indirect evidences (petrologic-textural data, observation of geophysical signals , physical modelling and laboratory experiments). In the past, direct gas flux measurements at Etna have been ta…
Volcanic risk and the role of the media. A case study in the Etna area
2019
On December 24, 2018, the Etna volcano has recorded a significant eruption. Linked to this phenomenon, after a seismic swarm of 72 shocks, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake struck a large area North of Catania city, on the Eastern coast of Sicily. Six villages reported 28 injured people and damages to the building. According to seismologists the earthquake had an unusual level of magnitude. Yet, despite the real danger of this event, many people who live around the volcano, in one of the most densely populated areas of Sicily, perceived these facts in an ambivalent way. Indeed, their lives continued as before even in awareness of the natural hazard, while several media presented the situation as r…
La pesca tabacchiera in Sicilia: opportunità da valorizzare.
2012
Una recente indagine condotta nel territorio etneo dal Dipartimento Demetra dell'Università di Palermo, ha condotto all'individuazione di 7 diverse pesche piatte, raccolte e valutate presso un campo catalogo. Le pesche tabacchiere sono caratterizzate dal sapore dolce e da un profumo ed aroma inconfondibili. L'ampio calendario di maturazione, accentuato dalla conformazione del territorio, gli eccellenti caratteri organolettici e l'elevata richiesta da parte del consumatore, sono i presupposti per creare valide operazioni commerciali.
Estudios estratégicos para la lucha contra la fascioliasis humana a nivel mundial = Strategic studies for the fight against de human fascioliasis wor…
2013
Fascioliasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. Emergence of human fascioliasis prompted a worldwide control initiative including a pilot study in several countries. Given the necessity to characterize the fasciolid populations involved, the overall aim of the present research is, first, the phenotypic characterization of faciolid adults and eggs implicated in human endemic areas, where this initiative has been implemented, through a computer image analysis system (CIAS) applied on the basis of standardized measurements. Second, new immunological techniques and their potential use as immunological diagnostic tests in those areas are evaluated. The …